120 WILLOW WARBLER. 
more the next week. On these the bird sat, and brought 
out seven young ones. When engaged with its young the 
Willow Wren suffers a rather near approach, moving about the 
brambles near its nest with evident and restless anxiety. 
They begin to build about a fortnight or three weeks after 
their arrival. 
It flies with rapidity, and in an undulating manner, but 
only ordinarily for a short distance; at times it betakes itself 
to the ground, where it is equally quick and nimble in its 
movements. 
The food of the Willow Warbler consists of flies, even of 
large size, gnats, spiders, aphides, and other insects, and 
caterpillars, and for these it naturally resorts to those situ- 
ations where they are in the greatest plenty—woods, plantations, 
copses, shrubberies, groves, and thickets, bushes on commons, 
gardens, and the wooded banks of the ‘clear and winding 
river.” They are sought for within the buds and beneath 
the leaves, and the birds do much service by destroying the 
creatures which do so great an injury to rose trees and 
flower-beds. A snap of the bill may often be heard when an 
insect is captured on the wing. 
Its song, though of not much variety, is plaintive, mellow, 
soft, and pleasing, and is both uttered at times on the wing 
as well as from some high tree. It consists, says Mr. Mac- 
gillivray, of a repetition of the syllable ‘twee,’ ten or more 
times, the first notes prolonged, the rest gradually falling 
and becoming shorter. It may be heard at a distance of 
as much as six hundred yards or more, and is continued 
till the middle or end of July, after which time it begins 
to wane in strength, though repeated in fine weather till the 
last. It begins with the highest note, and gradually goes 
lower, dwelling on each several tones, in all five whole notes 
of music. It is wont also, particularly in the early summer 
months, to emit a small and rather shrill cheep. When 
warbling its sweet and melodious lay, the throat is somewhat 
swelled out, and the whole body thrills with the effort. In 
the autumn it is so low and subdued that it is almost 
inaudible—a gentle adieu on the eve of its departure, before 
the inhospitable northern winter steals on. The note of the 
young birds is still weaker than that of the old ones. 
The nest, which is very large for the size of the bird, of 
an oval but rather flat shape, though it varies in form 
probably according to the situation mn which it is placed, is — 
